Court verdict delights Mosley

Mosley was awarded £60,000 in damages, and is also believed to have received around £1 million in costs, for an invasion of privacy by the British tabloid newspaper, which claimed that there were Nazi themes to an orgy he had with prostitutes.

In a statement issued by his lawyers after the verdict, Mosley said he was delighted with the outcome of the case - and hoped it would act as a warning to newspapers who were considering running similar exposes in the future.

"This judgment has nailed the Nazi lie upon which the News of the World sought to justify their disgraceful intrusion into my private life," said Mosley.

"By law we are all entitled to have our privacy respected. The News of the World invaded my privacy, dreamt up the most offensive headline possible, and decided that I should not be contacted before publication to prevent me asking the Court for the injunction I would have been entitled to.

"They and their lawyers have then conducted this case so as to cause maximum embarrassment in the hope that I would be discouraged from continuing.

"I needed a strong judgment to make it absolutely clear that what the News of the World did was wrong. Obtaining that in the full glare of the media has been extremely difficult but I am delighted that we have achieved what we set out to do.

"I hope my case will help deter newspapers in the UK from pursuing this type of invasive and salacious journalism. I have learnt first hand how devastating an invasion of privacy can be and how readily papers like the News of the World will destroy lives in the knowledge that few of their victims will dare sue them. I want to encourage a change in that practice."

He added: "As I promised at the outset, the damages will go to the FIA Foundation to further their work for road safety and the environment.

"Finally, I would like to thank all those who have supported me during this difficult period."